You need to remember where you have been.
You need to remember where you are.
You don't need to know where you are going.
You don't need to know where you will end up.
Recognize the familiar.
Take advantage of the unknown.
Welcome to my Cup of Cosmos. Enjoy!
(and if you need a second cup, check out my other brewing blogs under my profile)

Monday, May 25, 2015

New Year

Listen. Do you
hear that? It’s the sound of a new year.

Today it
snowed–the first dusting of the (new) year. It was that slushy stuff, the kind
that drips into the small openings of your jacket, steams up the back of your
neck, drenches those few hairs that strayed from your hood and turns your
mascara into dark mice under your eyes. Despite my cold and soggy edges I could
sense 2015 settling in. It’s like a new friend who you have just met. It’s a
familiar stranger. This is a year that we are just getting to know. Hi, nice to
meet you.

As I puddled out
into the white and grey coldness to meet a friend at one of our secret spots
for chai and good company I got to thinking about new years resolutions.
Earlier in the week I had been adamant about making a list, forcing friends to
ponder what they really wanted to do to make 2015 the best it could be. As per
usual, we brainstormed the common humdrum: better eating, more exercise, more
sleep. My list felt unsatisfactory. 2014 was a year full of so many rare gems,
many of which I didn’t plan for. And so this year I have decided to throw out
the list. The only rule that I will take from 2014 is to be ready, be
spontaneous and follow my gut. Life is a balance. It is not about frontloading
all of the things that we haven’t accomplished or didn’t perfect at the
beginning of a new year. I have to ask myself, will getting down on the floor
to hold a plank make me a better person in 2015? A happier person? Maybe.
Stronger? Sure, if I kept it up. But it is more likely that heading out into
the cold to meet a friend will better serve my needs in the short and long
term, making me stronger and happier all around.

This year I want
to set my standards high. I want to hold out for the best things. I refuse to
settle. But don’t confuse these ideals with “resolutions”–these are not
resolutions, these are my rules. This is my lifestyle.

“We were not put here on
this earth to barely squeak by and settle for a lukewarm, watered-down version
of life, or to live in fear of what other people will think. Our lives can’t
rise any higher than our standards. Rise above settling in life or in love. And
next time someone tells you your standards are too high, don’t apologize. Tell
them, “Thank you.” The standards you set determine the life you get. And those
who know their worth don’t even entertain the lesser things. They hold out for
the best things.” –Mandy Hale

Get
ready 2015! I am not slowing down for anyone.

This
cup is for Hannah and Alyssa (because you can keep up with me)

And
for Maynard (who sets a standard we should all live up to, year round.)